School was called off that day for Nancy Keehan's funeral. Nancy, who succumbed May 28 at the age of 46 after a five-year battle with cancer, was the longtime administrative assistant to the superintendent of Gibraltar Area Schools.

Gibraltar could have postponed its 4:30 p.m. WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal baseball game that day against Mishicot, too. Kyle is a standout on the team.

But Kyle didn't want that.

Nancy wouldn't have wanted that, either.

So instead, the Vikings rallied around Kyle. The community did, too.

Kyle will never forget attending his mother's funeral. But he'll also recall an overwhelming outpouring of support that day —from classmates, from teammates, from much of northern Door County.

Baseball also was an important part of Kyle's long day. After all, nothing can bring people together like sports.

***

Sports can provide an escape.

Kyle graduates from Gibraltar High on Sunday.

Nancy wanted so badly to make it to Sunday. Kyle, an A student and Nancy's youngest, will attend St. Norbert College in the fall — his mother's alma mater.

Nancy and her family were well-liked and well-known in Fish Creek, home of Gibraltar High. The Denmark High grad and her family lived in Baileys Harbor.

Pat, Nancy's husband and Kyle's father, is the school's football coach. Older daughter Kayla is in the Army, serving our country while stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Kyle is a three-sport athlete for the Vikings; he was an all-state quarterback for Dad and the 9-1 Vikings eight-man team last fall.

Nancy beamed with pride on those football Friday nights, especially for the past four years as her husband coached their son.

She loved football. The Keehans spent fall weekends together cheering the Badgers on Saturdays and the Packers on Sundays.

"She really enjoyed our time together, being with her children," Pat said. "It meant a lot to her."

Father Pat, daughter Kayla, son Kyle and mother Nancy Keehan take part in Senior Night festivities at halftime of a Gibraltar football game last fall.(Photo: Submitted)

***

Sports builds lasting relationships.

Kyle tossed and turned Tuesday night. Surely, he had pictured in his mind what this day would feel like. But now that it was here ...

In the morning, Kyle got dressed and went to the church. His heavy heart melted from what he saw.

His Vikings baseball teammates, the young men he suited up with to play a game, many of whom he'd played alongside since grade school, were dressed in Vikings blue and yellow as if it was game time. A few football teammates wore their jerseys.

From there, Kyle made connections with people he had never met. All day, strangers came up to him, telling stories about his mom, how they remembered her smile, her laugh, her can-do attitude toward everything.

The healing began.

"Definitely a very sad first half of the day," Kyle said.

After the tough morning, Pat left the decision on whether to play Wednesday in the hands of his son.

"As a father and a coach, I thought it would be good to be with your teammates, and that's what he chose," Pat said. "That's what his mom would have wanted."

Mom did her part to make sure her family was ready for this somber moment. She was, by all accounts, a responsible parent and born leader who absolutely adored her work at Gibraltar. Her preparation for this inevitable moment helped pull her family through.

"She really had everything set up for us," Kyle said.

Said Pat, "She's the strongest person I've ever known, and will ever know."

So Kyle played.

Kyle Keehan prepares for a pitch while playing first base for the Gibraltar baseball team Wednesday.(Photo: Submitted)

***

Sports provide an opportunity to move forward.

Kyle showed up to the field 15 minutes after the rest of the team. Upon his arrival, he found the somber tone of the morning replaced by exuberance.

"They were waiting," Kyle said. "Everybody was in such a good mood, ready to play ball."

Jay Kita, Gibraltar's baseball coach and a Keehan family friend, had an inkling the players were going to respond for their hurting teammate.

"They went in (to the game) on fire," Kita said. "They did it for Kyle."

Officially, Kyle went 0-for-0 at the plate — he had a sacrifice bunt his first at-bat, was hit by a pitch his second plate appearance and walked twice.

He scored two runs, including the final one that ended a 10-0 Vikings victory after five innings.

"They were really supportive," Kyle said of his teammates. "They had my back."

As the team packed up, second-grader Brady Kita, son of Jay and batboy for the Vikings, reached out to Kyle.

"You know," the 8-year-old quipped, "we played that game for your mom. We won that for her."